UCLA sophomore midfielder Benny Feilhaber officially ended his collegiate career Saturday when he signed with the German professional soccer team Hamburger SV. Feilhaber, originally out of Irvine, captured the European soccer community’s imagination during the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championships in Holland in late June, and at least three soccer clubs expressed interest, including Ajax and PSV Eindhoven. Feilhaber’s departure from the Bruins comes as quite a surprise after the midfielder was unsure whether he would even try out for the Under-20 U.S. team in late November. “I was just happy leading our team to the third round of the NCAA college cup,” Feilhaber told Ussoccer.com. “I hadn’t even really considered trying out for the national team.” After Feilhaber’s U.S. team reached the final 16 of the championship and surprisingly defeated the tournament’s “Group of Death,” which included Argentina, Germany and Egypt, Feilhaber was a hot commodity among European soccer circles. But Feilhaber’s departure wasn’t expected to come this soon. Feilhaber was born in Brazil and moved to the United States when he was 6 years old. He played for Northwood High School and walked onto the UCLA soccer team in September 2003. He was expected to replace veteran midfielder Mike Enfield, who graduated this spring, and moved into the starting lineup permanently for the first time in his career. But now, without Feilhaber on the roster, the Bruins are left with five midfielders, only three of which have extended playing experience. Feilhaber had 10 shots and two goals last year, both of which were game winners.
BRUINS NAMED TO U.S. TEAM: Sophomore Greg Folk and freshmen Jason Leopoldo and Sal Zizzo were selected to the U.S. Under-18 National Team for the 2005 Milk Cup. The tournament will take place from August 1-5 in Northern Ireland. The U.S. team will take on Brazil in its opening match. The three underclassmen also played together at the Under-18 Lisbon International Tournament in June.